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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349709">The Curse of Kylo Ren</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JGoose13/pseuds/JGoose13'>JGoose13</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reykenobi68/pseuds/Reykenobi68'>Reykenobi68</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Evie Carnahan!Rey, F/M, Imhotep!Kylo Ren, Mummy AU, My first thought when I saw this moodboard, Rick O'Connell!Ben, more tags tba</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:40:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JGoose13/pseuds/JGoose13, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reykenobi68/pseuds/Reykenobi68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Solo never wanted to step foot in that wretched lost city again. However, a pair of hazel eyes, a stunning smile, a gorgeous accent, and a generous sum convince him otherwise. What he didn't know was that the key to understanding his life lay beneath the sands of Egypt...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>No Harm Ever Came From Reading A Book, Reylo Moodboard Inspiration</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Curse of Kylo Ren</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearts_of_kyber/gifts">hearts_of_kyber</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  
</p><p>The following fic was inspired by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/rw_eaden/pseuds/hearts_0f_kyber">hearts_0f_kyber</a>'s moodboard for The Writing Den's Reylo Moodboard Event. Thank you for this absolutely gorgeous moodboard!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Egypt, 1924</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“… Alexander the Great invaded Egypt in 332 B.C. and quickly ingratiated himself with the Egyptians by respecting and honoring their religion. As such, Alexander was able to appoint his most senior officials into most of the upper echelon posts throughout Egypt with little protestation. Thus arose the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the last dynasty Egypt will see…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is she always like this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. She gets on these tangents, and there’s no stopping her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“… The first pharaoh under the Ptolemaic Dynasty was Ptolemy I Soter, Alexander’s dear friend. He was devastated to have learned of the death of his friend in Babylon in 323 B.C. Enter Ptolemy’s trusted advisor and recently appointed high priest, Kylo Ren…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The riverboat chugged down the Nile bringing their little traveling party closer and closer to doom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least, that’s how Ben Solo saw it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been many years since he abandoned his parents in America for adventure in Europe and beyond. Somehow, he’d joined the French foreign legion and found himself in Egypt. Ben didn’t have issues with Egypt. In fact, he loved Egypt: the history, culture, food, the women… He did not particularly like the heat. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> did not like the supernatural shit he’d got himself wrapped up in. He’d vowed when he abandoned his post that he’d never return to Habisopolis again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, a radiant smile accompanied by a pair of wide, hazel eyes, convinced him otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you been listening to me?” A crisp, British accented voice asked, breaking Ben from his reverie. He turned from where he’d been wistfully watching the lush green shores of the Nile River float by to meet the hazel eyes in question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Oh, yeah, hanging on every word…” Ben replied with a smirk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey Niima scowled in that adorable way of hers, nose scrunching and lips pursed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Solo, you’ve been hired to take us to Habisopolis. Do you not think it prudent to know some context of where we’re going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, toots--” Rey gasped in indignation. “--yes, you hired me to be your guide, and that’s what I’m doing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Guiding</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I know where the place </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but I don’t need to know the</span>
  <em>
    <span> history </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the place. I simply know you’re all nuts to want to go to Habisopolis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve said this before, Mr. Solo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’ll keep saying it… somethin’ there ain’t right. And you’ll be lucky to leave that place alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey, to her credit (or discredit depending on how you looked at it), looked more resolved to this venture than before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my life’s work, Mr. Solo. I will not turn back now,” she declared, shoulders back, chest up, chin angled upward in determination. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, of course not. Dunno why you’re so fascinated with Kylo Ren anyway…” He muttered, turning back to lean on the railing, watching other boats glide past. “… the guy’s been dead for over a thousand years. He’s gotta be crusty by now. Definitely not marriage material.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey scowled again, the default expression meant for him. “You are… deplorable, Mr. Solo,” she gritted through clenched teeth before spinning on her low heel, and stalking away, some history book or other clutched to her body. Ben grinned widely, watching her retreat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should probably stop doing that, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben turned toward Finn Storm, Rey’s closest companion and friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rile her up like that. We’ll all suffer,” Finn replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>From what Ben had gathered, Finn and Rey had grown up in the same orphanage in Cairo. They were as close to brother and sister as anyone not blood related could be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not trying to upset her. I’m just trying to get her to see that she shouldn’t go to Habisopolis. No one should go to Habisopolis.” Ben sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t really believe in curses, do you?” Finn asked, eyebrow raised.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you asked me that ten years ago, I’d tell you no. But I’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>been</span>
  </em>
  <span> to Habisopolis. I may not know what’s there, but I know it’s not good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The steady thud of boots across the boat deck signaled the arrival of another person in their party. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say to Rey?” Poe Dameron asked Ben, accusingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you assume I said something?” Ben scoffed, indignant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, if Rey’s annoyed, it’s because you either breathed wrong or you said something to annoy her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn guffawed, and Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I can’t help that she doesn’t appreciate the truth when it’s given.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A series of clipped heel clicks alerted them to the final member of their group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say to Rey?” Rose Tico asked Ben, just as accusingly as Poe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn lost it then, and Poe even chuckled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~*~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dinner hour came and went.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sitting down for a meal with his four companions was not really Ben’s style, but he did it to humor them. Since they set out from Cairo a couple of days ago, Ben has had to readjust to what it was to be a civilized human being. He’d been locked in that prison for months, and in a Cairo prison, you lost a bit of yourself. Muscle memory of his previous life returned, though. His childhood as the son of two influential, high society types, had been packed with tutors teaching him how to act, the proper way to eat, how to talk to others of his rank, and so on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all part of why Ben ran away from his parents, from the only home he’d ever known. He felt he never fit into wealthy society, </span>
  <em>
    <span>would never</span>
  </em>
  <span> fit into wealthy society. His spirit was too wild, his wanderlust too great. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And look where that had gotten him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Conscripted into the French foreign legion, haunted by his brief time stationed at Habisopolis and whatever inhabited it, and the months spent in the prison in Cairo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Many times Ben wished he’d just stayed home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, well, well… if it isn’t Benjamin Solo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice of the greeter sent a finger of ice sliding down his spine. He didn’t want to turn and face who it was, but he did, because he wasn’t a coward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armitage Hux, what an unpleasant surprise,” Ben greeted with a smile far from welcoming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tall, lean redhead smirked. “I haven’t seen you in quite a while. I spotted you at dinner, and couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought ‘Surely that cannot be Ben Solo.’ Seems I was wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’re you doing here, Hux?” Ben asked, hands clenching at his sides, the leather of his wrist cuffs groaned at the strain of muscle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am going to take a wild guess and say you’re leading a group to Habisopolis. How fitting, because so am I.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben cursed under his breath. “You shouldn’t be going back there, Hux. Neither of us should.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but I suspect you were given a monetary offer you could not refuse, same as me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hux had him there. The money Rey and company had offered him to guide them to the lost city of Habisopolis had been too good to ignore. Plus, being liberated from that prison was a plus. Not to mention vexing Rey Niima to the point her cheeks get red… also a plus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay out of my way, Solo,” Hux warned, leaning in menacingly. “That treasure </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> be mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben snorted, and stepped around Hux. He may be of a height to Ben, but the redhead had always been a sniveling little kiss ass. “Sure,” he slapped Hux on the shoulder, a condescending action. As he walked away, an inspiration struck. “How about we make a wager? If </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> get to Habisopolis first, the treasure is yours. If </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> get to Habisopolis first, the treasure is ours. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hux stood ramrod straight, tension evident in his body. Ben knew it was difficult for him to resist the temptation of gambling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The redhead turned, and held his hand out. “Deal.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben clapped their palms together and shook fiercely. “Excellent. Now that that’s settled… I better go get my beauty sleep for tomorrow. Need to look my best for our grand return.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that final jab, Ben Solo took his leave, heading for his state room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rey would be absolutely livid with him when he aprised her of the situation in the morning, and Ben couldn’t wait to see the fire flare in her hazel eyes and the blush return to her cheeks. Ben couldn’t help but grin at the possibilities. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he wound his way through the lounge, he spotted Hux stomping in and reuniting with a group of people that were no doubt his unlucky sheep. At the table sat a peculiar woman, tall with a platinum curly bob of hair. There also sat an older man with a long face, a head of salt and pepper hair, and a fierce look about his face. He reminded Ben of the hardass generals in the legion. The third member was a middle aged man with more pepper than salt in his hair, blue eyes, and a well-kempt, short gray beard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something awfully familiar about that particular individual… but Ben couldn’t seem to put his finger on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Solo, interested in a round?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben turned to see Dameron beckoning him over to a table where he and Finn sat, hands of cards clutched to their chests. He ambled over, patting their shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but thank you for the invitation. You wouldn’t want to play poker with me anyway.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Finn asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, your pockets would be cleaned out in minutes,” Ben replied with a smirk. “I’m a mean poker player.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poe laughed, and made to retort, but before he could, an ear piercing shriek filled the air. </span>
</p>
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